IMU Sensors Visualize Data from Javelin Throws,
Opening New Possibilities in Sports Spectating
Visualizing the trajectory, speed, height, distance, and rotation of a thrown javelin using TDK’s sensor technologies—this is a project that grew out of a shared vision between World Athletics and TDK: using technology to bring advancement to track and field athletics and convey its appeal to a broader audience. Working together, TDK and World Athletics are engaged in visualizing the athletes’ challenges and delivering the strength and beauty of a javelin’s flight in a tangible form for everyone.
World Athletics
World Athletics is the international governing body of track and field athletics. Through the establishment of competition rules and the organization of the World Athletics Championships, it promotes the development and expansion of track and field while ensuring fair competitive environments.
Technology Redefining the Sports Experience
Sports spectatorship is changing. Beyond just wins and losses, today’s audiences seek visibility into the previously unseen techniques and strategies of athletes, revealed through data of their movements and finer details of the competition. This growing field of sports tech is creating new experiences for spectators. In soccer, for example, VAR (Video Assistant Referee) has improved the accuracy of judgments, while sensor technology is already used in track and field to detect false starts. These advances elevate both the fairness and the entertainment value of competitions.
The javelin throw in track and field combines speed, power, and refined technique. Until now, spectators were presented with only one result: flight distance. By mounting multiple sensors like IMUs (Inertial Measurement Units) within the javelins, TDK and World Athletics are enabling the visualization of the acceleration at the moment of release, the angle, height, rotation, and flight distance of the thrown javelin. The goals are to share the appeal of the sport and the excellence of athletes’ performances with a larger audience while providing feedback that supports athletes in improving their skills, adding new value to the javelin throw competition.
Visualizing a wide range of data from the javelin throw—trajectory, angle, speed, height, rotation, and flight distance—has the potential to dramatically change how the sport is enjoyed. At the same time, providing athletes and coaches with precise performance data is expected to help improve results.
Photo Gallery
TDK’s IMU sensors minutely capture the javelin’s motion
This project utilizes TDK’s IMUs to visualize the javelin throw. These high-precision sensors minutely capture the movements of the javelin throw, enabling the visualization of complex motion data such as trajectory, rotation, and speed. At the heart of the project are the following TDK products:
● ICM-45686: InvenSense high-performance 6-axis MEMS motion tracking device (UI + AUX interface)
Detailed Product Information
Mounted within the javelin, these sensors measure the acceleration and angular velocity at the moment of release, enabling flight attitude changes, rotational velocity, and maximum speed to be translated into data, then presented visually in conjunction with software.Prospectively, further developed forms of this solution promise to redefine the experience for fans while providing athletes with deeper insights into their performance, supporting improvement of their skills.
Comments from a World Athletics official
Athletics is all about pure performance, and technology in our sport has rapidly evolved to enable the tracking and understanding of the exploits of our athletes.
Sport data is not only helping athletes to improve, but is also bringing new storytelling to our fans. We are excited that TDK is using their engineering power to help us innovate in the field, and our community is looking forward to seeing TDK sensor technology applied to throws tracking.
An Dang Duy
Chief Information Officer, World Athletics
Comments from TDK staff
TDK is deeply honored to collaborate with World Athletics in a technical capacity for the first time. By combining World Athletics’ commitment and understanding of athletes with TDK’s sensing technologies, we have embarked on a spirit of co-creation—using technology to explore new possibilities for the sport.
Under the vision of TDK Transformation, we support cutting-edge technologies that drive change in society, though often unseen. When World Athletics proposed visualizing the javelin throw to attract new fans, we saw it as a valuable opportunity to highlight the impact of TDK’s technologies. Through conversations with athletes and partners, we also deepened our understanding of the sport. Today, we take pride in being able to capture and visualize javelin trajectory data with TDK sensors.
Although the project is still at an early stage, we will continue refining our technologies and contributing to the transformation of the javelin throw—and athletics as a whole. We look forward to creating new value together with World Athletics, athletes, and our partners.
Nakato Koike and Sosuke Okada
Corporate Communications Group
Corporate Strategy HQ
TDK Corporation
Come experience a javelin throw at the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics!
The World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 will be held from September 13 to 21, 2025. As an official partner, TDK will host a booth around the perimeter of the Japan National Stadium, the event’s venue. The booth will display a prototype of the javelin project carried out in collaboration with World Athletics and featured in this article, as well as offer visitors the experience of throwing a model javelin equipped with TDK sensors and challenging the world record. We look forward to your visit.
" Sport data is not only helping athletes to improve, but is also bringing new storytelling to our fans. We are excited to see TDK’s sensor technology being applied to throwing events, and our community is looking forward to how it will help us innovate in the field. "
An Dang Duy,
CIO, World Athletics